Blu-ray Disc Information from Dischromatics

From August 2006, Dischromatics will be one of the only companies in Europe capable of supplying the new Blu-ray discs, thanks to the company’s close association with Sony DADC in Austria who form part of the Blu-ray Disc Association, founders of Blu-ray technology.

Dischromatics staff have also recently returned from a visit to Sony DADC headquarters in Austria they received a full Blu-ray presentation encompassing HD-TV images, the latest in surround sound as well as some of the interactive bonus features that will be available to Blu-ray users. The visit enabled the Dischromatics team to gain useful information in order to better inform customers and to discuss a wide range of issues from graphic design to prices.

Blu-ray technology has been developed to allow more data to be supplied on a disc the same size and dimensions as a normal CD or DVD. This is possible by compressing the space between data tracks and using a blue laser to read the data instead of the red laser on CD/DVD drives as the wavelength of the blue ray is shorter and therefore has less spread across tracks. Each layer of data on a Blu-ray Disc (or BD) can house up to 25GB (compared to 4.7GB on a DVD) whereas a HD-DVD (Blu-ray’s main competitor and also based on blue laser technology) only contains a maximum of 15GB per layer. This increased capacity and the internet connectivity of BD players means that publishers will have access to a world of new possibilities from HD-TV to downloadable bonus content. More information about Blu-ray, including the comparison to HD-DVD, can be found on Dischromatics website at http://www.dischromatics.co.uk/blu_ray.asp

Blu-ray Discs are available from Dischromatics in August 2006 and prices will available in late July. In the meantime, please feel free to contact Dischromatics by telephone (01495 243222), email, or through the website, http://www.dischromatics.co.uk/